International

DAR ES SALAAM (TrustLaw) – Tanzania has disbanded a parliamentary watchdog committee charged with overseeing the efficiency of public institutions, an action critics say is a setback in its fight against corruption.

Anne Makinda, speaker of the country’s National Assembly, made a surprising move to dissolve the Parastatal Organization Accounts Committee (POAC) on the grounds that “nowhere in the world” do such committees exist. Political analysts say that POAC has played an instrumental role in exposing a range of corrupt practices and structural weaknesses in public institutions.

It was formed in 2008 at the request of the auditor general to seal off loopholes that allow for embezzlement in public organisations, following a major scandal at the Bank of Tanzania in which $100 million was stolen from its External Payment Arrears Account.

“Justice has been perverted, people’s rights denied, innocent souls committed to prison, torture and extra-judicial killings perpetrated,” said Abubakar, in a speech distributed to reporters in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

A key piece of America’s enduring presence in Iraq — a multimillion-dollar program to train police forces — could become a “bottomless pit” for taxpayer funding if officials fail to adequately assess the needs of Iraqi security forces and obtain assurances from Iraqi officials about the program’s future, according to a new federal watchdog report.

Since 2003, the United States has spent about $8 billion to train, staff and equip Iraqi police forces. With the U.S. military preparing to leave Iraq at the end of December, responsibility for the police training program transferred to the State Department this month. The department has requested $887 million to continue operating the program this fiscal year.

But a government report set for release Monday found that the department is spending just 12 percent of money allocated for the program on advising Iraqi police officials, with the “vast preponderance” of funds going toward the security, transportation and medical support of the 115 police advisers hired for the program. When U.S. troops leave, thousands of private security guards are expected to provide protection for the thousands of diplomats and contractors set to stay behind. For security reasons, the State Department has declined to specify the cost and size of its anticipated security needs. Read the article here: Washington Post